How to cope with change?

If you are expecting a change in your life recently or in the up coming future. I would recommend a book entitled "Who Moved My Cheese". The story presented in the book is very simple. However, the phrases used within the book is quite rich. I would like to share some of them with you.

Advices:

Keep things simple, be flexible and move quickly.

Realize the difference between activity and productivity.

When you change what you believe you change what you do.

Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come.

Quotes:

A change imposed is a change opposed.

If you don’t change, you can be extinct.

Job seeking:

They wanted to work in an organization that gave people confidence and tools to change.

Just take an action:

We should stop analyzing the situation and go find new …

They didn’t think of anything else but finding new …

It is time to find new …

Let go and move on.

Fear is not that bad:

Some fear can be good, it can prompt you into action.

What you afraid of is never bad as what you imagine.

Reality in life:

What could go wrong than what could go right.

Deny what was happening.

Sometimes things change and they never the same again. This looks like one of those times.

That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.

Misc.:

He gathered his courage

Where am I more likely to find a new … here or in the maze?

On "Putting the one minute manager to work"

The aim of this book (after the One Minute Manager book) is : "Turn the secrets into usable skills, in order to make differences in performance".

Managers will get the performance they want only when they are there.

Old management model -> Leave alone-zap
New management model -> One Minute Manager

The management ABCs are:
A Activator (15-25% influence on performance) what has to be done before performance
B Behavior (75-85% influence on performance) what someone does or says
C Consequences what has to done after performance

A -> perfroemance -> B -> respond -> C

Training to have a good performer should follow:
Tell what to do
Show how to do
Let the person try
Observe performance
Praise progress or redirect

What is the PRICE you have to pay it to achieve good performance?
P Pinpoint
R Record
I Involve
C Coach
E Evaluate

Quotes:

KISS Keep It Short and Simple
Feedback is the breakfast of the champions.
Achieving good performance is a journey - not a destination.
Anything worth doing does not have to be done perfectly - at first.
Only positive consequences encourage good future performance.

What I gained from "Leadership and the one minute manager"

I preferred to mention gained rather than learned because I do gained a lot from this great book (Ken Blanchard etal., "Leadership and the one minute manager", 2004). It might be small in size but it is defiantly great in value. I want to share what I gained from it with all of you but you have to read it on your own, I recommend it to you.

Don't work harder work smarter.
You should think before you act.
When I slow down I go faster.

Different strokes for different folks.
Everyone has a peak performance potential - you just need to know where they are coming from and meet them there.
You can expect more if you inspect more.

The more I know, the more I realize I don't know.
To know and not to use is not yet to Know.

Leadership styles I:

• Autocratic
• Democratic

Leadership styles II:

• Directing
• Coaching
• Supporting
• Delegating

"Dynamically changing, Situational leadership"

Successful manager should be:

• Flexible
• Diagnostic
• Partnering

Always try to achieve a Win-Win situations!

That's is easier said than done!

S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable
R Realistic
T Time constraint

Writing your dissertation

Writing a dissertation seems to be a frightening and terrifying process of documenting a years of technical research work in just a bunch of papers. Well, honestly it is frightening and terrifying but if we could consider previous experiences and share ours we could make it easier and may be you could enjoy it.

I would like to share with all of you my experience in writing my dissertation, hoping that it might help and support you too.

Before I go through my recommendations and suggestions. I would recommend you to read those two links about "How to write your dissertation". The first link is written by Prof. Chinneckand the second link is written by Prof. Zappe. Please, read them carefully.

http://www.sce.carleton.ca/faculty/chinneck/thesis.html

http://infoscreen2.phpnow.de/misc/How%20to%20write%20a%20thesis.pdf

I will try to make it easy and straight forward. Before I start writing my dissertation I started with a planning phase which took about one and half month. It seems to be a long period of time, but it definitely worth it. My first step was by declaring all the resources which I will need during the writing process. I classified the resources to four main categories, as followed:

• Backup
• Word processor and Editor
• Management and planning tools
• Editing and drawing tools
• Dictionary

Obviously, I am using Ubuntu Linux operating system but I might have some recommendation for MS Windows users too.

1. Backup tools

• Online backup

Dropbox (Linux and Windows) www.dropbox.com

iDrive (Windows) www.idrive.com

• External hard disk

sync -avzurC sourceFolder destinationFolder (Linux command)

• USB stick

2. Word processor and Editor tools

• Latex (MikTex for Windows, TexLive for Linux)

http://miktex.org/2.9/setup

http://www.tug.org/texlive/

sudo apt-get install texlive-full

sudo apt-get install tex-common texlive-base texlive-base-bin texlive-common texlive-doc-base texlive-latex-base

• Editor (TexMaker or Kilefor Linux, TexMaker or WinEdt for Windows)

http://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/

http://www.winedt.com/

sudo apt-get install kile

3. Management and planning tools

• MS Project (Windows)

Used for time (Gantt chart) and resources management

• Planner (Linux)

Used for time (Gantt chart) and resources management

http://live.gnome.org/Planner/Downloads

sudo apt-get install planner

• xMind, FreeMind (Linux and Windows)

Used for Mind mapping

http://www.xmind.net/

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Download

• Osmo (Linux)

Used as personal organizer

4. Editing and drawing tools

• CorelDraw

5. Dictionary

• English <> Arabic

http://qamoos.sakhr.com/

• English <> German

http://dict.leo.org/

• English <> English

http://thesaurus.com/

How can I live my life?!

I always feel happy, you know why? 'Unfortunately not me, him'
Because I don't expect anything from anyone, expectations always hurt.

Life is short...
So, love your life...
Be happy...
And keep smiling...
Just for yourself and:

Before you speak ... Listen
Before you write ... Think
Before you spend ... Earn
Before you pray ... Forgive
Before you hurt ... Feel
Before you hate ... Love
Before you quit ... Try
Before you die ... Live

That's life ... Feel it, Live it and Enjoy it.

Shakespeare.

Photographing

Let the photos speak ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/ahmed.shahein

Engineering ...

Engineering is a way of Life, my blessed father told and taught me that.